Electrolytic apparatus.



No. 646,28l. Patented Mar. 27, 1900.

|.. H. A. B. M. HAZABD-FLAMAND.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

(Application filed Sept. 22, 1898.)

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No. 646,281. Patented Mar. 27, I900.

L. H. A. B. m. HAZARD-FLAM'AND.

ELECTROLYTIC APPABATUS..

(Application filed Sept. 22. 1898.)

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ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

(Application filed Sept. 22, 1898-) 3 Sheets-Shoot 3.

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flaw/afar MWW- Jf/orngy UNITE STATES PATENT FFICEQ' LOUIS HENRY ANTOINEBARTHELEMY MAURICE HAZARD-FLAMAND, OF

- BOULOGNE-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 6&6,281, dated March27, 1900.

Application fil d September 22, 1898. Serial No. 691,854. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, LOUIS HENRY ANTOINE BARTHELEMY MAURICEHAZARD-FLAMAND, a citizen of the French Republic, residing atBoulogne-snr-Seine, France, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Electrolytic Apparatus, (for which I have applied for Letters Patentin Great Britain on the 7th day of June, 1898, No. 12,765 3 in Belgiumon the 11th day of August, 1898, No.107 118; in Germany on the 11th dayof June, 1898, No. H. 20,506; in France on the 6th day of August, 1898,No. 268,193; in Italy on the 22d day of August, 1898; in Spain on the22d day of August, 1898, and in Switzerland on the 24th day of August,1898,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for obtaining gases by electrolysisfree from admixture, the said gases being so separated from the momentof their production onward that no gas disengaged from the one electrodecan possibly become mixed with that from the other, even if differencesof level and of pressure occurinthe apparatus? The invention will bedescribed in view of the production of oxygen and of hydrogen by thedecomposition of water by electricity; but it is equally applicable tothe production of other gases which can be obtained by the action of anelectric current.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of theapparatus partly in longitudinal section,-partly in elevation. Fig. 2 isa horizontal partial section of the apparatus on the line X X of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the apparatus on the line Y Y ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of the apparatus on theline Z Z of Fig 3.

TlTemegative electrode is formed by a vesselA, of cast-iron or othersuitable conductingmateriahthe vertical internal walls whereof arecovered with ribs a for the purpose of increasing the surfaces and ofcorrespondingly diminishing the polarization. The interior of the vesselA is divided into equal compartments by memofdivisions CL, cast in metalin one piece with the vessel. The

said partitions are likewise provided with ribs o The vessel A can beconstructed of insulating material; but in this case negative electrodesformed of suitable plates must be provided and connected together by asuitable conductor. 1

Around the whole of its exterior surface the Vessel A is provided with adeep channel or gutterBjin which lodges therim of the cover M, and thisgutter is filled with an insulating liquid, such as paraffin orpetroleum oil or any otherhydrocarbon oil, to form a hydraulic joint.The cover M rests upon the edges of the vessel by means of interposedpieces of ebonite B. The vessel, moreover, has a screw terminal D, uponwhich is attached the conductor for the current in the usual manner.

The positive electrm 1m of plates E of cast-iron or other suitableconducting material, havi'ngribse placed within the compartments of thevessel A and supported by the conducting-bars e, which pass through thelid of the vessel, being electrically insulated from this latter byrings of ebonite to prevent any escape of gas. The conductingbar '6 isinclosed in a bell c? with a paraffinjoint, and this bell e is itselfinclosed in a cylindrical vessel m cast in one piece with the lid M.This cylindrical piece m is filled with paraffin, constituting ahydraulic j oint, which will prevent any escape of gas. Y

All the conducting-bars are connected with a conductor F, which leads tothe screw terminals of thefollowing vessel.

The positive plates E are surrounded with elongated gas-proofinsulating-rings H, (ebonite,'porcelain, glass, enameled iron, &c.,)superposed so as to form internally a vertical tube around the positiveelectrodes E. Each ring forms a hydraulic joint with the following andthe preceding ring and has the section shown in Fig. 1, so that whilethe electric currentncan pass freelyth r o;ugh the liquidjn an; cupsescape of the gases through the ring s is absolutely prevented. The formshown in Fig. 1 is preferred to any other, because it gives the largestsectional area to the liquid conductor.

The aforesaid rings H are maintained the one above the other by means ofthe external supporting-pieces h, Fig. at, secured to the ends of thesaid rings. Below they are supor other suitable insulatingmaterial'which is impermeable to the gases. This dish Z, Fig. 4, onlyrests upon its feet, and the center has underneath a hollow devised toallow free passage to the hydrogen gas which may be generated below thebottom of the dish.

In order to close the upper part of the cell containing the positiveelect-rode, the last ring II is preferably of the shape shown and endsin a deep channel h, in which the cover M forms a hydraulic joint by theaid of the prolonged rings m, cast in one piece with it. One or moreholes 7L2, suit-ably placed, pierced in the last insulating-ring, putsthe liquid of the vessel into hydraulic communication with the liquidcontained in the reservoir formed in the upper part of the cover bymeans of the lips or walls m. The reason for this arrangement will beexplained hereinafter.

The electrolyte'-that is to say, the solution which is decomposed by thecurrent into hydrogen and oxygen-is preferably a conductin g solution ofan alkali such as soda or potash. The carhonating of the liquid isprevented by a layer of mineral oil which is contained in thereservoirs'formed at the upper part of the cover by the ribs m. Theholes 7L pierced in the last ring 7L, being upon an cquipotential line,there could theoretically only be produced parasitic currentsin the lid.In practice the place for these holes cannot be fixed mathematically,and currents of very small intensity are produced; but they areabsolutely unimportant, because of the electromotive force beingproportional to the distance between the holes, and their theoreticalposition is insignificant, because from one plate to the other thiselectromotive force cannot exceed three volts. Further, the resistanceis enormous, because the holes h are of small diameter and of verylimited number.

In practice there can be obtained the theoretical quantity of gascorresponding to the quantity of the current which traverses thevoltmeter. Moreover, the electromotive force of these parasitic currentsbeing only a small fraction of a volt cannot decompose the electrolyteand give admixture of gas. The gases disengaged at the electrodes andbeing so placed that they cannot mix, as already explained, arecollected in the following manner: The ,lid M of the vessel has twochannels of cast-iron, one of which, N, is shown at the left of the axisof the vessel, Fig. i, and the other (not shown on the drawings) isplaced symmetrically therewith-i. a, to the right of the axis of thevessel. The longitudinal axes of these channels are normal to thesurface of the electrodes. The left channel N, for instance, devised tocollect the gases disengaged in the positive cells, communicates by theholes or with the said positive cells, while the right channelcommunicates through similar holes with the positive cells. Thesechannels communicate with collecting vessels, (not shown in thedrawings,) whereof one collects the oxygen and the other the hydrogen.It has been already said that the reservoirs formed by the ribs 117/ areupon the lid and contain liquid in communication with the liquid in theinterior of the vessel. This arrangement has for its object to form ahydraulic joint which prevents the gases from escaping to the open airthrough the holes 71* and m when the apparatus is working normally. If,however, the liquid is allowed to run short through negligence and thelevel of the liquid in the vessel is reduced down to the lower lip ofthe cast-iron ring 'm, Fig. 1, which forms the hydraulic joint, the gasescapes around this ring and passes through the hole m escaping to theoutside through the liquid-joint. The bubbling which results in theupper cells formed upon the lid, gives notice of this accident, andwithout allowing the gases, which have found a wayof escape toward theoutside, to become mixedthat is to say, to pass from an internal cell tothe other. one or more cells is prevented by an obstruction of anykindto the holes 41 or n, the pressure which results causes the level of theliquid to sink in the corresponding cells; but when the level of theliquid reaches the lower part of the lip of cast-iron of the rim 'm ofthe cover the liquid escapes to the outside, as before, producing abubbling, which gives notice of the accident Without danger of anymixture, as already explained in the preceding case.

My system of separation is especially designed for apparatus producingoxygen and hydrogen by the decomposition of water by the passage of anelectric current; but I may apply the same system for the production byelectrolysis of other gases.

What I claim is- 1. In electrolytic apparatus for the production ofgases, positive and negative electrodes,

an annular gas-tight diaphragm separating the said electrodes, a deepchannel around the upper part of the said diaphragm, said channel beingpartially immersed in the electrolyte, holes pierced through the base ofsaid channel and connecting the electrolyte with a sealing liquid in theinterior of the said channel, a cover having a prolongation projectingdownward into said channel, and concentric therewith, communicating witha sec ond channel on the top of the said'cover, sub stantially asdescribed. 5

2. In electrolytic apparatus for the production of gases, a gas-tightdiaphragm penetrable by the current, and also by the elec-.

trolyte, said diaphragm surrounded by a deep channel partially immersedin the electrolyte, holes in the base of the said channel leading to ahollow prolongation of the cover, so that the said channel is in liquidcommunication with a channel 011 the top of the said cover,substantially as described.

3. In electrolytic apparatus for the production of gases, containingelectrodes surrounded by an annular gas-tight diaphragm, the combinationwith the u ppor part of the dia-= If the disengagement of the gases ofphragm of an annular channel I-I, having at its lower part holes h-, theedge h of said channel rising above the surface of the electrolyte, andcombining with a prolongation m of the cover connected by means of holesm with an annular receptacle 1% upon the said cover. 4

4. In electrolytic apparatus for the production of gases, electrodes, adiaphragm separating the electrodes the combination of a cover providedwith channels, hollow prol0n gations from said channels communicatingwith a deep annular channel around the upper part of the diaphragmseparating the electrodes, said annular channel partially immersed inthe electrolyte, and provided with y orifices 71 substantially asdescribed.

5. In electrolytic apparatus for the production of gases, an electrodeE, a diaphragm having a deep annular channel h around the saidelectrode, and partially immersed in the electrolyte; the said channel hproviding liquid communication on the one hand with the electrolytethrough orifices in its lower 'part, and on the other hand with the lidof the cover by means of a hollow prolongation of the said

